News

By Emma Amaize & IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday dragged the immediate past governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timpre Sylva to the Abuja High Court over alleged fraudulent stealing of N6.5 billion, property of the state government.

The EFCC also said that Sylva among other things was allegedly involved in obtaining money under false pretences, an offence popularly referred to as 419.

A six count charge with number. FHC/ABJ/CR/23/2012, filed against Chief Sylva by the EFCC’s Counsel, Festus Keyamo read:

Count one: “Timipre Sylva, as Governor  of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, sometime between October, 2009 and February, 2010, at various places in Nigeria, including Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court did conspire to commit a crime to wit: conversion of properties and resources amounting to N2 billion belonging to Bayelsa State Government and derived from an illegal act, with the aim of concealing the illicit origin of the said amount and  thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 17(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act), 2004 and punishable under Section 14(1) of the same Act”



*Sylva

Count two: “That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor  of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, on or about the January 22, 2010, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, converted the sum of N380 million, property of the Bayelsa State Government, through the account of one Habibu Sani Maigidia, a Bureau De Change Operator with Account No. 221433478108, in Fin Bank, Plc, which sum you knew represented the proceeds of an illegal act with the aim of concealing the nature of the proceeds of the said illegal act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2004 and also punishable under section 14(1) of the same Act.

Count three: “That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor  of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, on or about February 5, 2010, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, converted the sum of N50 billion, property of the Bayelsa State Government, through the account of one Enson Benmer Limited with Account No.
6152030001946, in First Bank, Plc, which sum you knew represented the proceeds of an illegal act with the aim of concealing the nature of the proceeds of the said illegal act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2004 and also punishable under section 14(1) of the same Act.

Count four: “That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor  of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, on or about the February 5, 2010, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, converted the sum of N20 million, property of the Bayelsa State Government, through the account of one John Daukoru with Account No. 04800250000418, in United Bank for Africa, Plc, which sum you knew represented the proceeds of an illegal act with the aim of concealing the nature of the proceeds of the said illegal act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2004 and also punishable under section 14(1) of the same Act.

Count 5: “That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor  of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, sometime between October, 2009 and February, 2010, at various places in Nigeria, including Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court did conspire to commit a crime to wit: inducing Union Bank, Plc, with the intent to defraud, to deliver to Bayelsa State Government the sum of N2 billion, under the false pretence of using the amount to augment salaries of the Bayelsa State Government and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(a) and punishable under section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2004.

COUNT 6: “That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor  of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, sometime between October, 2009 and February, 2010, at various places in Nigeria, including Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court induced Union Bank, Plc, with the intent to defraud, to grant an overdraft facility of the sum of N2 billion, to the Bayelsa State Government under the false pretence of using the amount to augment salaries of the Bayelsa State Government and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2004 and punishable under section 1


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/02/the-six-count-charge-against-sylva/

The South-South people.

What does MEND have to say about this ?

This charges are ridiculous! EFCC needs to up their game and stop just sensatonalising things!

Count two: “That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, on or about the January 22, 2010, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, converted the sum of N380 million, property of the Bayelsa State Government, through the account of one Habibu Sani Maigidia, a Bureau De Change Operator with Account No. 221433478108, in Fin Bank, Plc, which sum you knew represented the proceeds of an illegal act with the aim of concealing the nature of the proceeds of the said illegal act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2004 and also punishable under section 14(1) of the same Act.

The above count amounts to nothing! What happens to showing that it was an illegal money paid. Note that paying money to an account is not an offence and it is thus funny that this entire count is based on paying money into Maigida's account for forex exchange! Haba!

Akainzo:

This charges are ridiculous! EFCC needs to up their game and stop just sensatonalising things!

The above count amounts to nothing! What happens to showing that it was an illegal money paid. Note that paying money to an account is not an offence and it is thus funny that this entire count is based on paying money into Maigida's account for forex exchange! Haba!

yes, paying your own money into a bank account is not an offence. But paying money that has been appropriated, that require a process/procedure to expend into an account is an offence. Are you trying to say that sylva can pay the states money into his personal account, collect the interest and pay back the capital? Is that not an offence.

What about the other past and present head of states and governors? even this whole amount is a peanut compare to what a local government chairperson can pocket in a month. EFCC please stop this your crazy token charges and start the overhaul corruption revolution. Thousands of politician past and present out there are needed to stand trials also.

The EFCC and judiciary should stop making a mockery of themselves.This is not the first time they will be charging a public office holder to court for corruption related offences.At the end,as usual,no tangible outcome.

obowunmi (m)
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Re: The Six Count Charge Against Sylva
« #1 on: Yesterday at 07:29:21 AM »

The South-South people. Shocked Shocked Shocked Shocked Shocked

What does MEND have to say about this ?

u have started with this ur tribalism

I pity the bank staff who manage those allegedly implicated accounts. When you don't bring in accounts; issues. When you then bring high net-worth accounts of politically-exposed people, double wahala.

Is only God that can save us from this bad politician.

Just waiting to see where all these circus will lead to, if sylva will be jailed? Or if he will be given a token 4 million naira fine (a slap on the wrist) as in the case of igbinedion.

Witch hunting. Jonathan and Silva are prominent Bayelsan indigenes that disagreed and the most powerful of the two at the moment is pulling the rug off the feet of the other.

silibaba:

u have started with this ur tribalism

Sorry but I don't have a history of tribalism

God bless Niggeria!!!!

where on earth is Timipre Sylva.It seems Nigeria has a way of allowing these former governors to escape out of the country and afterwards raised an alarm that they(ex-governors) are declared wanted.i expect the EFCC to have placed a surveillance around the governors right before their tenure elapsed instead of crying wolf when the ex-governors would have bolted away.